Refrigerator appliance with a convertible compartment

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining multiple food storage chambers which are operable at distinct temperatures. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet comprising a plurality of insulated mullions. The insulated mullions at least partially define a fresh food chamber, a freezer chamber, a convertible chamber, and a plenum. The refrigerator appliance also includes a first damper selectively providing fluid communication between the fresh food chamber and the plenum, a second damper selectively providing fluid communication between the freezer chamber and the plenum, and a fan disposed between the convertible chamber and the plenum. The fan is configured to force air from the plenum into the convertible chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
 a cabinet extending from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction, from a left side to a right side along the lateral direction, and from a front side to a rear side along the transverse direction; 
 a fresh food chamber defined in the cabinet, the fresh food chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom of the cabinet and along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet; 
 a freezer chamber defined in the cabinet, the freezer chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and bottom of the cabinet and along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, the freezer chamber spaced apart from the fresh food chamber along the vertical direction; 
 a convertible chamber defined in the cabinet, the convertible chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and bottom of the cabinet and along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, the convertible chamber spaced apart from the fresh food chamber along the vertical direction and spaced apart from the freezer chamber along the lateral direction; 
 a heat exchanger system comprising a condenser, the heat exchanger system configured for transporting heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside; 
 a plenum defined in the cabinet, the plenum aligned with the convertible chamber along the vertical and lateral directions and spaced from the convertible chamber along the transverse direction, wherein no components of the heat exchanger system are disposed within the plenum; 
 a first insulated mullion extending along the lateral direction from the left side of the cabinet to the right side of the cabinet, extending along the transverse direction from the front side of the cabinet to the rear side of the cabinet, and extending along the vertical direction between the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber, whereby the first insulated mullion separates the fresh food chamber from the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber and the first insulated mullion partially defines each of the fresh food chamber, the freezer chamber, and the convertible chamber; 
 a second insulated mullion extending along the lateral direction between the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber, along the transverse direction from the front side of the cabinet to the rear side of the cabinet, and extending along the vertical direction coextensively with the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber, whereby the second insulated mullion separates and partially defines the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber; 
 a first damper positioned in the first insulated mullion above the plenum along the vertical direction, the first damper configured to selectively provide direct fluid communication between the fresh food chamber and the plenum; 
 a second damper positioned in the second insulated mullion between the freezer chamber and the plenum, the second damper configured to selectively provide direct fluid communication between the freezer chamber and the plenum; and 
 a fan disposed between the convertible chamber and the plenum, the fan configured to force air from the plenum into the convertible chamber, whereby the convertible chamber is selectively cooled by air from one or both of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber when the fan is activated while one or both of the first damper and the second damper is in an at least partially open position; 
 wherein the refrigerator appliance does not include an evaporator dedicated to the convertible chamber. 
 
     
     
       2. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a third damper configured to selectively provide fluid communication between the plenum and an ambient environment. 
     
     
       3. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a thermosiphon configured to provide thermal communication between the condenser of the heat exchanger system and the convertible chamber. 
     
     
       4. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the thermosiphon extends from the condenser to the plenum. 
     
     
       5. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the thermosiphon extends from a first end to a second end, the first end of the thermosiphon directly connected to the condenser and the second end of the thermosiphon positioned in the plenum. 
     
     
       6. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
 a cabinet comprising a plurality of insulated mullions, the insulated mullions at least partially defining a fresh food chamber, a freezer chamber, a convertible chamber, and a plenum; 
 a heat exchanger system comprising a condenser, the heat exchanger system configured for transporting heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside, wherein no components of the heat exchanger system are disposed within the plenum; 
 a first damper positioned in a first insulated mullion of the plurality of insulated mullions, the first insulated mullion separating the fresh food chamber from the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber and the first insulated mullion partially defining each of the fresh food chamber, the freezer chamber, and the convertible chamber, the first damper selectively providing direct fluid communication between the fresh food chamber and the plenum; 
 a second damper positioned in a second insulated mullion of the plurality of insulated mullions, the second insulated mullion separating and partially defining the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber, the second damper selectively providing direct fluid communication between the freezer chamber and the plenum; and 
 a fan disposed between the convertible chamber and the plenum, the fan configured to force air from the plenum into the convertible chamber, whereby the convertible chamber is selectively cooled by air from one or both of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber when the fan is activated while one or both of the first damper and the second damper is in an at least partially open position; 
 wherein the refrigerator appliance does not include an evaporator dedicated to the convertible chamber. 
 
     
     
       7. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , further comprising a third damper configured to selectively provide fluid communication between the plenum and an ambient environment. 
     
     
       8. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , further comprising a thermosiphon configured to provide thermal communication between the condenser of the heat exchanger system and the plenum. 
     
     
       9. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the thermosiphon extends from the condenser to the plenum. 
     
     
       10. The refrigerator appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the thermosiphon extends from a first end to a second end, the first end of the thermosiphon directly connected to the condenser and the second end of the thermosiphon positioned in the plenum. 
     
     
       11. A method of operating a refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising a cabinet with a plurality of insulated mullions, the insulated mullions at least partially defining a plenum, a fresh food chamber, a freezer chamber, and a convertible chamber in the cabinet, the refrigerator appliance further comprising a heat exchanger system comprising a condenser, the heat exchanger system configured for transporting heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside, wherein no components of the heat exchanger system are disposed within the plenum, wherein a first insulated mullion of the plurality of insulated mullions separates the fresh food chamber from the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber and partially defines each of the fresh food chamber, the freezer chamber, and the convertible chamber, wherein a second insulated mullion of the plurality of insulated mullions separates and partially defines the freezer chamber and the convertible chamber, and wherein the refrigerator appliance does not include an evaporator dedicated to the convertible chamber, the method comprising:
 receiving a temperature setting for the convertible chamber; 
 opening a first damper positioned in the first insulated mullion to provide direct fluid communication from the fresh food chamber to the convertible chamber via the plenum when the temperature setting is within a first range; 
 opening a second damper positioned in the second insulated mullion to provide direct fluid communication from the freezer chamber to the convertible chamber via the plenum when the temperature setting is within a second range lower than the first range; and 
 activating a fan disposed between the convertible chamber and the plenum, whereby the convertible chamber is selectively cooled by air from one or both of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising determining that the fresh food chamber is actively cooling before opening the first damper when the temperature setting is within the first range and determining that the freezer chamber is actively cooling before opening the second damper when the temperature setting is within the second range. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining whether the fresh food chamber is actively cooling; 
 determining whether the freezer chamber is actively cooling; 
 activating the fan to force air from the plenum into the convertible chamber after opening the first damper when the fresh food chamber is actively cooling; and 
 activating the fan to force air from the plenum into the convertible chamber after opening the second damper when the freezer chamber is actively cooling. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining whether the fresh food chamber is actively cooling when the temperature setting is within the first range; 
 determining whether the freezer chamber is actively cooling when the temperature setting is within the second range; 
 activating cooling of the fresh food chamber when the temperature setting is within the first range and the fresh food chamber is not actively cooling; and 
 activating cooling of the freezer chamber when the temperature setting is within the second range and the freezer chamber is not actively cooling.